Seven transformative community projects in Fresno

The curated articles highlight community-driven initiatives in Fresno aimed at improving the city's social and physical landscape, marked by efforts in areas such as education, housing, and cultural recognition. Across these articles, stories reveal efforts to uplift communities and celebrate diversity amid challenges like crime and underdevelopment.

One article discusses a new park project in Fresno's core, signifying efforts to counteract years of disinvestment in green spaces using funding from Measure P. Another story covers how dozens of families in southwest Fresno embraced homeownership by participating in a self-help housing program, an initiative supporting economic empowerment. Additionally, an article describes the naming of a Fresno school after a Sikh human rights activist, recognizing the area's rich cultural diversity and the district's focus on community representation.

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An example of the sculpted terra cotta craftmanship of the Gladding, McBean & Company artisans is seen over an entrance of the Fresno County Hall of Records. This particular panel, finished in a granite-style glaze, depicts industrious ancients bearing fruits and grains and a counting device, perhaps conveying voting or taxation.

NO. 1: FRESNO COUNTY SUPERVISORS EYE ESCAPE FROM ‘ANTIQUATED’ HOME. WHAT’S THE NEXT MOVE? | OPINION

Opinion by Marek Warszawski: “The Hall of Records has become a better place to admire than inhabit.” | Published January 30, 2025 | Read Full Story by Marek Warszawski

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Construction continues on what will be Jaswant Singh Khalra Elementary school at Shields and Brawley in west Fresno on Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025. It will be the first public school in North America named after someone of Sikh decent. By Craig Kohlruss

NO. 2: SIKH NAME ON CENTRAL UNIFIED ELEMENTARY SCHOOL REFLECTS FRESNO AREA’S RICH DIVERSITY | OPINION

Opinion of The Fresno Bee Editorial Board: Jaswant Singh Khalra Elementary School will be the first public school in North America named after a Sikh individual. | Published February 7, 2025 | Read Full Story by The Fresno Bee Editorial Board

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The snow-covered Sierra Nevadas can be seen in the distance behind downtown Fresno’s skyline following recent storms on Monday, Jan. 2, 2023. By CRAIG KOHLRUSS

NO. 3: GO AHEAD AND STARE, FRESNO. BECAUSE THE SIERRA WILL SOON FADE BEHIND A VEIL OF SMOG | OPINION

Opinion by Marek Warszawski: “I can’t help wonder what life would be like if the Sierra was part of our daily existence.” | Published February 5, 2025 | Read Full Story by Marek Warszawski

Construction continues on the new El Super grocery store, which sells Hispanic foods, and includes a tortilleria, to be located in the former Sears at Manchester Center. Photographed Monday, April 28, 2025 in Fresno. By ERIC PAUL ZAMORA

NO. 4: HISPANIC SUPERMARKET CLOSER TO OPENING IN FRESNO. IT’S HIRING 140 WORKERS

The grocery store is on one end of the mall, which is the beginning stages of being turned into apartments with retail below it. | Published April 30, 2025 | Read Full Story by Bethany Clough

The downtown Fresno skyline is seen in the foreground as snow caps the Sierra Nevada mountains and clouds hug the foothills in the background Monday, Dec. 14, 2009. Several days of precipitation have given the mountains east of Fresno a much-needed dumping of snow. CRAIG KOHLRUSS/THE FRESNO BEE

NO. 5: MY LOVE FOR FRESNO GOES BEYOND TACO TRUCKS AND FARM PRODUCE. HERE’S WHY | OPINION

Fresno Bee Opinion Editor Juan Esparza Loera explains what makes Fresno a great place to love. | Published May 1, 2025 | Read Full Story by Juan Esparza Loera

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Esmeralda Melecio Lopez said her family’s journey to homeownership went beyond the construction of a house, it was the opportunity to build a better future. Pictured on April 25, 2025. By JP & Tracie

NO. 6: DOZENS OF FRESNO FAMILIES BECOME FIRST-TIME HOMEOWNERS BY BUILDING THEIR OWN HOMES

“We didn’t just build a house, we built a community and a future,” said one new homeowner. | Published May 11, 2025 | Read Full Story by María G. Ortiz-Briones

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Backed by volunteers and flanked by District 4 Councilmember Tyler Maxwell, Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer highlights recent improvements to Cary Park as part of Beautify Fresno’s citywide Great American Cleanup effort held April 25, 2025. By MAREK WARSZAWSKI

NO. 7: FRESNO HAS $20M TO BUILD A NEW PARK IN CITY’S CORE. WHERE SHOULD IT GO? | OPINION

Opinion by Marek Warszawski: “Fresno’s parks are slowly turning the corner.” | Published May 22, 2025 | Read Full Story by Marek Warszawski

The summary above was drafted with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in our News division. All stories listed were reported, written and edited by McClatchy journalists.